1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of hay harvesting, and more particularly to a method for loading, orienting and stacking big bales on a big bale stacker bed.
2. Description of the Prior Art
To obtain the maximum production from a field of hay, each crop of hay must be promptly cut, baled and removed from the field. The more quickly hay can be cut and removed, the more quickly a successive crop of hay can be cultivated.
The harvesting of hay involves three main tasks: cutting the hay; baling the hay; and removing and storing the baled hay. Although originally manual tasks, nowadays these tasks have to a great extent been mechanized. Of these three tasks, the removing and stacking of the hay bales has heretofore been the most cumbersome.
The difficulties involved in removing and stacking hay bales are to a great extent dependent on the size and quantity of individual bales produced by the specific hay baler that is used. Until recently, hay balers have come in three common sizes, producing the following sizes of bales: (1) 14" by 16" by 3 or 4 feet long; (2) 16" by 18" by 3 or 4 feet long; and (3) 16" by 24" by four feet long. These three sizes, collectively, fall into the category of "small bales". More recently, balers capable of producing bales 8 feet in length and having cross sections of 2 by 3 feet, 3 by 4 feet, or 4 by 4 feet, have been produced. The larger bales mean less time spent gathering, stacking, and moving of the bales. The primary factor limiting the use of "big bale" balers is the lack of effective machines designed to pick up, transport, stack, and retrieve the bales.
The most common method used for moving big bales from the field to a storage area is to use a tractor with a front end loader for loading of bales on a flatbed truck or trailer. Such a method requires at least two operators, ie., one for each piece of equipment, and is time consuming.
U.S. Pat. No 3,521,762, issued to J. C. Walters, discloses a method of loading and orienting bales on a stacker which includes the steps of receiving a bale from a stacker; rotating the bale for orientation; utilizing a first fence to move bales to a lateral location; utilizing a second fence to move the bales rearwardly onto a transfer bed; and then swinging the transfer bed up to deposit the bales onto a stacker bed.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,549,023, issued to E. Backman also discloses a method of loading and orienting bales on a stacker, including the steps of lifting a bale onto a receiving table; rotating the table to orient the bale into a lengthwise position; dumping the bale onto an elevator; raising the bale or bales into position before a vertical turntable (rotatable about a horizontal axis); grasping the bales by grasp means for holding the bales onto the vertical turntable; rotating the bales as desired; and displacing the turntable along a track for depositing the bales onto the stacker bed.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,952,111, issued to D. Callahan, discloses a stacking device for large bales. Callahan, requires that bales be picked up cross-wise rather than lengthwise, ie., across an 8 foot span for proper placement directly on the stacker bed, in that Callahan has no mechanism and therefore no procedure for orientation of the bales after leaving the pickup mechanism.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,329,101, issued to A Green et al, shows apparatus for picking up round bales and for moving the bales laterally or rearwardly, once on the stacker bed. Green does not show a mechanism or procedure for rotation of bales.